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ARB Newsclips for November 4, 2013.
This is a service of the California Air Resources Board’s Office
of Communications. You may need to sign in or register with
individual websites to view some of the following news articles.
AIR POLLUTION
RPT-World Bank urges better cookstoves in developing states to
curb deaths. Simple measures to reduce pollution from cooking
stoves in developing nations could save a million lives a year
and help slow global warming, a World Bank study showed on
Monday. Tighter restrictions on diesel emissions, for instance
from car exhausts, could also avert 340,000 premature deaths
annually by reining in soot and other heat-trapping pollutants
that are also stoking climate change, it said. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/03/climate-health-idUSL5N0IO0EI20131103
Power Plants Try Burning Wood With Coal to Cut Carbon Emissions.
Even as the Environmental Protection Agency considers requiring
existing coal-fired power plants to cut their carbon dioxide
output, some utilities have started to use a decidedly low-tech
additive that accomplishes that goal: wood. Ranging in size from
sawdust to chunks as big as soup cans, waste wood from paper
mills, furniture factories and logging operations has been used
with varying levels of success. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/business/power-plants-try-burning-wood-with-coal-to-cut-emissions.html
AIR POLLUTION: Freeway emissions to be tracked. For the first
time, permanent air quality monitoring stations will be placed
near Southern California freeways to measure pollution from
traffic. The information will be a factor in determining whether
an area meets federal air quality standards. No later than Jan.
1, the South Coast Air Quality Management District will install
the air-monitoring stations just off Interstate 10 near Etiwanda
Avenue in a Fontana warehousing district. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20131101-air-pollution-freeway-emissions-to-be-tracked.ece
Report: Idling buses, cars outside schools dangerous. When
children walk into their school building, they may pass through
some of the dirtiest air on their travel from home to class. A
recently published study by a researcher at Cincinnati Children's
Hospital Medical Center and three other community organizations
not only proves this is the case, it also points the way to
reduce the exposure – simply turn off the engines of idling buses
and cars. Posted.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/04/report-idling-cars-outside-schools-dangerous/3430749/
Long Beach nonprofits battle clean air issues. When Emmanuel
Ibarra can’t breathe, the asthmatic kindergartner often seeks
relief at The Children’s Clinic on Atlantic Avenue. On a recent
visit, the boy wheezed and coughed as a doctor listened to his
chest and back. To loosen the mucus that filled his
underdeveloped lungs, Ibarra’s cousin Jennifer Castellon tapped
his back while he breathed in and out of a machine that doled out
medication in mist form. Posted.
http://www.presstelegram.com/business/20131103/long-beach-nonprofits-battle-clean-air-issues
Fairfield County Saw Fewer Unhealthy Air Quality Days During
Summer. Fairfield County residents experienced 10 fewer
unhealthy air quality days this summer compared with last summer,
preliminary data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
shows. Connecticut measured 17 unhealthy ozone days between
April and September 2013. In 2012, the Nutmeg State experienced
27 days during the same time period. Posted.
http://stamford.dailyvoice.com/news/fairfield-county-saw-fewer-unhealthy-air-quality-days-during-summer
FIREPLACE BURN DAYS
Wood-burning rules now in effect. With crisper fall days in the
forecast, San Joaquin Valley air quality officials say residents
need to check before lighting up a fireplace blaze. The Valley
Air Pollution Control District's annual wood-burning program
begins today. On days with high levels of tiny particle pollution
in the atmosphere, the district may prohibit residents from
lighting a fire. Posted.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131103/A_NEWS/311030314/-1/A_NEWS14
No-burn days ahead for wood-burning fireplaces. Wood-burning
fireplaces could face shutdowns again this winter. Spokesman Sam
Atwood at the AQMD says there could be ‘no burn’ days through the
end of March to cut down on fine particulate pollution. “We will
forecast unhealthful air quality and on those days, will ask that
residents not burn wood in their fireplaces. It’s a major source
of pollution that impacts our public health goals.” Posted.
http://www.inlandnewstoday.com/story.php?s=30990
Burn ban lifted in Tehama County. Due to the reduced threat of
wildfire with the weather change, the Tehama-Glenn Unit of the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Cal Fire,
and the Tehama County Fire Department (TCFD) announced Friday
that as of 8 a.m. Monday Nov. 4, the burn ban for Tehama County
and the State Responsibility Areas of Glenn County will be
lifted. The city of Red Bluff is also lifting its own burn ban
beginning Monday. Posted.
http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/business/ci_24441045/burn-ban-lifted-tehama-county
POLLUTION: Check air quality before lighting that fireplace.
With recent highs in the 80s, few people are ready to spark up
the fireplace. But the South Coast Air Quality Management
District already is warning residents to be aware that burning
wood in home fireplaces on polluted days is a violation that can
result in fines, not to mention making the air worse. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20131101-pollution-check-air-quality-before-lighting-that-fireplace.ece
'Don't Light Tonight' advisory issued for Yolo-Solano region.
The Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District has issued a
"Don't Light Tonight" advisory that will run until midnight
Sunday. Residents are asked to refrain from burning wood during
this time. Ironically, the district only just announced Thursday
that its Don't Light Tonight program 2013-14 season was launching
on Friday. The program will run through the end of February 2014.
Posted.
http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_24439642/dont-light-tonight-advisory-issued-yolo-solano-region
CLIMATE CHANGE
Global Warming Seen Taking Toll on Economy, Health, Crops.
Global warming is expected to take an increasing toll on the
economy, food production, fresh water supplies and human health
as the century progresses, according to a draft study for the
United Nations. A temperature increase of 2.5 degrees Celsius
(4.5 degrees Fahrenheit) since industrialization may lead to
losses of as much as 2 percent of global economic output, an
analysis by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
showed. Temperatures have already risen by about 0.8 degrees.
Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-04/global-warming-seen-taking-toll-on-economy-health-crops.html
Climate Change Seen Posing Risk to Food Supplies. Climate change
will pose sharp risks to the world’s food supply in coming
decades, potentially undermining crop production and driving up
prices at a time when the demand for food is expected to soar,
scientists have found. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/02/science/earth/science-panel-warns-of-risks-to-food-supply-from-climate-change.html?_r=0
Top climate scientists ask environmentalists to support nuclear
power in climate battle. Some of the world’s top climate
scientists say wind and solar energy won’t be enough to head off
extreme global warming, and they’re asking environmentalists to
support the development of safer nuclear power as one way to cut
fossil fuel pollution. Four scientists who have played a key role
in alerting the public to the dangers of climate change sent
letters Sunday to leading environmental groups and politicians
around the world. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/energy-environment/top-climate-scientists-ask-environmentalists-to-support-nuclear-power-in-climate-battle/2013/11/03/79a345b0-4473-11e3-95a9-3f15b5618ba8_story.html
Pacific Ocean warming faster than it has in 10,000 years, study
finds. Scientists have struggled to explain a recent slowdown in
the rise of global surface temperatures while skeptics have
seized on the 15-year lull to cast doubt on the science of
climate change. A new study offers one explanation of where much
of the heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions is going: the
ocean. Scientists found that parts of the Pacific Ocean are
absorbing heat faster than they have over the past 10,000 years.
Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-pacific-ocean-warming-faster-10000-years-climate-change-20131101,0,2144238.story#axzz2jhzPE6KR
Experts say nuclear power needed to slow warming. Some of the
world's top climate scientists say wind and solar energy won't be
enough to head off extreme global warming, and they're asking
environmentalists to support the development of safer nuclear
power as one way to cut fossil fuel pollution. Four scientists
who have played a key role in alerting the public to the dangers
of climate change sent letters Sunday to leading environmental
groups and politicians around the world. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/nov/03/experts-say-nuclear-power-needed-to-slow-warming/#ixzz2jhcFSJlL
Report: Warming likely to make bad things worse. Many of the ills
of the modern world — starvation, poverty, flooding, heat waves,
droughts, war and disease — are likely to worsen as the world
warms from man-made climate change, a leaked draft of an
international scientific report forecasts. The report uses the
word "exacerbate" repeatedly to describe warming's effect on
poverty, lack of water, disease and even the causes of war.
Posted
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/03/report-warming-likely-to-make-bad-things-worse/
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/03/3587740/report-warming-likely-to-make.html
Pacific Climate Pact's Green Energy Goals No Easy Feat. From
streamlined permitting of clean energy projects to electricity
grid integration, the regional climate change action pact inked
by California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia this week
is an impressive wish list of renewable-friendly goals, but
experts say bridging jurisdictional divides and turning those
goals into concrete, cohesive energy policies won't be easy for
lawmakers and regulators.. Posted.
http://www.law360.com/environmental/articles/485120?nl_pk=f73ac890-26a3-449e-837c-961a6627164d&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=environmental
BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY
How media pushed climate change 'pause' into the mainstream.
Second in a two-part series. Click here for the first part. In
late September, when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change released its latest science summary, IPCC scientists
highlighted the certainty of human's role in recent climate
change. They also updated estimates of sea-level rise and pointed
out that the last three decades were likely the warmest 30-year
period in the past 1,400 years. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989863/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY
Cuts in black carbon, methane could slow rapid polar and
Himalayan melting – report. Reduction of short-term climate
pollutants like methane and soot could make a real difference in
slowing melting of the Arctic and glacial regions like the
Himalayas, according to a report released yesterday by the World
Bank and the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative. It
could also have significant health benefits for people living in
areas where these pollutants are released. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989866/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY
FUELS
Fracking probe expands in Central Valley. Near almond orchards
and the city of Shafter, state water authorities tested
suspicious fluid in an oilfield sump — at a well named for the
1930s cartoon character Betty Boop. They found the fluid laced
with boron, salts and a cocktail of notorious chemicals related
to gasoline and diesel. It came from hydraulic fracturing, or
fracking, for oil. Posted.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/02/3587611/fracking-probe-expands-in-valley.html#storylink=cpy
Will 2014 be the year when cellulosic biofuels arrive at your gas
pump? With luck, by the end of next year, there will be seven
fully operational cellulosic ethanol facilities in the world.
That's more than double the three that are up and running now:
KiOR in Mississippi, INEOS Bio in Florida and Beta Renewables in
Italy, and it offers the most promising future to date for a
sector that has had a difficult time getting on its feet. "I
think the future is bright; I think the industry can be built
very quickly…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989882/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY
VEHICLES
US Electric Vehicles sales report for October. The monthly EV
sales report is provided by InsideEVs and is updated with the
latest available information. Ford has not yet reported its
results, but it looks like October 2013 will not only surpass
September 2013, but also December of 2012 and be the 2nd best
month of all-time for US EV sales. While the numbers for October
have only just started to come in (and will be updated), it
appears as though the month…Posted.
http://cars21.com/news/view/5643
DOD plans big bet on electric vehicles, but not much on natural
gas. The Department of Defense is accelerating its adoption of
electric vehicles in order to trim its fuel bill and reap the
strategic benefits of weaning itself from a heavy dependence on
fossil fuels. According to a recent report from Colorado-based
firm Navigant Research, DOD is expected to acquire more than
92,400 electric vehicles (EVs) for nontactical purposes by 2020.
Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989883/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY
GREEN ENERGY
This Little LED of Mine. Nancy Finkelmeier tried to make the
switch more than a year ago. After hearing that the long life of
compact fluorescent bulbs would help her avoid changing the
lights in her 15-foot ceilings so often, she got rid of her
traditional incandescent bulbs in favor of the new ones. But
there was a problem. “I don’t like that cool blue light that it
emits,” said Ms. Finkelmeier, a retired nurse from Cincinnati.
Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/02/business/energy-environment/this-little-led-of-mine.html?_r=0
Aiming for Truly Sustainable Buildings. Over the last decade,
the most widely recognized seal of approval for green buildings
among New York City buyers has been LEED, a label that stands for
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Many property
developers strive for LEED certification to appeal to residents
with an image of eco-friendliness, as well as to charge premium
prices and earn tax credits. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/realestate/aiming-for-truly-sustainable-buildings.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1383586816-Le55fZM+IcABI10sgPPR5g
Green Building Council honors UC system. The U.S. Green Building
Council's Northern California Chapter hosted its annual Green
Building Super Heroes Awards Gala Tuesday at the Julia Morgan
Ballroom San Francisco honoring several distinguished leaders --
including the University of California system -- propelling the
sustainability movement in Northern California and beyond. Mary
D. Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources
Board…Posted.
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/business/ci_24440438/green-building-council-honors-uc-system
Diablo Canyon faces state deadlines to change its cooling system.
An important milestone looms for Diablo Canyon nuclear power
plant. Plant manager PG&E and state officials will decide soon
whether the plant will spend up to $12 billion to change its
cooling system, which damages the ocean ecosystem by killing fish
larvae and discharging billions of gallons of unnaturally warm
seawater. Some options, such as building 600-foot-tall cooling
towers, would permanently alter the landscape around Diablo
Canyon and certainly face stiff local opposition. Posted.
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/11/02/2763083/diablo-canyon-faces-deadlines.html#storylink=cpy
MISCELLANEOUS
Free emissions test offered to Fresno drivers. The San Joaquin
Valley Air Pollution Control District and Valley CAN will provide
Fresno drivers with free vehicle emissions tests Saturday at the
Fresno County Fairgrounds during the "Tune In & Tune Up" event.
Drivers who have owned their car for at least six months are
eligible for the free test from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. If the vehicle
doesn't pass the test and can be repaired…Posted.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/01/3585247/free-emissions-test-offered-to.html
http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/01/3006905/free-emissions-test-offered-to.html#storylink=cpy
OPINIONS
COLUMN-Shell plants LNG at truck stops along the interstates:
Kemp. In the decade to 2013, shale gas and oil transformed the
U.S. and global energy markets. The next revolutionary
development over the decade to 2023 is likely to be the
widespread use of gas as a transport fuel, starting in the United
States. Freight trucks powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG)
rather than diesel could become a common sight on the U.S.
interstate highway system under plans being developed and
financed by Royal Dutch Shell. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/04/lng-north-america-idUSL5N0IP2I120131104
Earth Talk: Can’t close doors on pollution. Dear EarthTalk: Can
you discuss pollutants in car interior materials, and also
pollution inside cars originating from gasoline and diesel
exhausts outside the car? . . . The interior of your car may seem
like a safe haven from air pollution, but it may actually be
quite the opposite. Chemicals emanating from the steering wheel,
dashboard, armrests and seats mix with the airborne pollution
being generated under the hood to form a witch’s brew of toxins
for those riding inside. Posted.
http://smdp.com/earth-talk-cant-close-doors-on-pollution/128825
BLOGS
A Closer Look at Climate Panel’s Findings on Global Warming
Impacts. Justin Gillis has provided a look at the forthcoming
report on climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation
options from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, based
on a leaked final draft (dated Oct. 28) that was posted on the
blog of Donna Laframboise, a longtime critic of the panel.
Posted.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/02/a-closer-look-at-climate-panels-findings-on-global-warming-impacts/
California won't meet 2050 emissions goals, report says. Barring
a sweeping policy change or the introduction of new technology,
California will fall short of its goals to drastically curtail
greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to a new report from
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The good news is that
California remains on pace to cut emissions to their 1990 level
by 2020, a goal set out in a 2005 executive order issued by Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger. Posted.
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/11/california-wont-meet-2050-emissions-goals-report.html
Adapting to Climate Change Does Not Mean Accepting It. At the end
of last week a new IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change) report was leaked projecting that climate change would
reduce the world's food productivity throughout this century. We
also saw the Obama administration issue an Executive Order on
Climate Preparedness as part of its Climate Action Plan. The
Obama Climate Action Plan includes elements to both mitigate and
adapt to climate change. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-cohen/adapting-to-climate-chang_b_4212460.html